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A bride is found for Isaac

Abraham's servant prays for help in choosing a bride for Isaac.
Contributed by LUMO project
Story also available on our translated websites: Spanish, Portuguese, German
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Abraham was now very old and his son Isaac needed a bride. So he called his chief servant and said, ‘I do not want my son to marry one of the local Canaanite women. Go to my home country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.’ – Slide 1
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The servant asked him, ‘What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Do I then take Isaac back to the country you came from?’ – Slide 2
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‘No,’ Abraham replied. ‘God has promised to give this land to my offspring. Isaac must stay here.’ – Slide 3
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So the servant started off on the long journey north to the region of Aram Haharaim and the town of Nahor. He took ten of Abraham’s camels loaded with all kinds of good things and some other servants. – Slide 4
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When he reached the well at Nahor he prayed, ‘I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a young woman, “Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,” and she says, “Drink, and I’ll water your camels too” — let her be the one you have chosen for Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.’ – Slide 5
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Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was very beautiful. She went down to the spring and filled her jar. – Slide 6
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Abraham’s servant asked, ‘Please give me a little water from your jar.’ – Slide 7
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‘Drink, my lord,’ she said. ‘And I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.’ – Slide 8
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Without saying a word, Abraham’s servant watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful. – Slide 9
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When the camels had finished drinking, Abraham’s servant took out a gold nose ring and two gold bracelets and gave them to her. – Slide 10
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Then he asked, ‘Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to stay?’ <br/>She replied, ‘I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milkah bore to Nahor. We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night.’ – Slide 11
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Rebekah ran and told her mother’s household about these things. – Slide 12
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Now Rebekah had a broth-er named Laban, and he hurried out to the spring to find Abraham’s servant. <br/>‘I have prepared the house and a place for the cam-els,’ he said. – Slide 13
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Laban provided water for Abraham’s servant to wash and straw for the camels. He then provided food for his guest. – Slide 14
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But Abraham’s servant refused to eat until he had explained his mission. He told them about his prayer and the way Rebekah had answered it. ‘I praised the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son. Please tell me if Rebekah will go back with me to marry Isaac.’ – Slide 15
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Laban and Bethuel answered, 'This is from the Lord; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of Isaac, as the Lord has directed.' – Slide 16
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Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewellery and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother. – Slide 17
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The next morning Abraham’s servant asked if he could take Rebekah and set off that day to bring her to Isaac. <br/>The family wanted to delay this by 10 days but the servant insisted they needed to set off that day. – Slide 18
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So they called Rebekah and asked her, ‘Will you go with this man?’ <br/>‘I will go,’ she said. – Slide 19
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So they sent Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men. – Slide 20
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They blessed Rebekah saying, ‘May you increase to thousands upon thousands and may your offspring possess the cities of their enemies.’ – Slide 21
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Now Isaac went out to the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching. Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel and asked the servant, ‘Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?’ – Slide 22
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‘He is Isaac,’ the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself. <br/>Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her. – Slide 23
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